Ipswich, Queensland encyclopedia topics

History

The area was first explored by European colonists in 1826, when Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony, sailed up the Brisbane river and discovered large deposits of limestone and other minerals. In 1827, the first convicts and overseers arrived to mine the area, and the town that built around this industry became known as Limestone, and is remembered by one of the main streets through the Ipswich city centre.

In 1843, the settlement officially became known as Ipswich, making Ipswich the oldest provincial city in Queensland. The name change was proposed by surveyor Henry Wade and approved by Sir George Gipps, a soldier and Governor of New South Wales. The UK town of Ipswich was once called Gipeswic , derived from the Old English for "workplace by water"

Ipswich was proclaimed as a municipality on March 2, 1860, and became a city in 1904.

Damaging flooding has occurred on numerous occasions, the largest being in 1893 peaking at 24.5 metres, and more recently during the 1974 Brisbane Flood, peaking in Ipswich at 20.7 metres. Collectively, 8500 houses were flooded in Ipswich and Brisbane.

In 1980s and 1990s, with land in nearby Brisbane becoming fully developed, and very expensive for housing, many new large scale housing estates became attractive for buyers in Ipswich with lower prices and bigger lots. Such new housing estates sprung up in Goodna, Springfield Lakes, Collingwood Park, Redbank Plains with acreage estates in Karalee, Barellan Point, and Chuwar, Queensland.

Economy

Ipswich is the site of RAAF Base Amberley, the Royal Australian Air Force's largest operational base. RAAF Amberley is currently home to No. 1 and No. 6 Squadrons flying F-111 strike aircraft and No. 38 Squadron which flies Caribou transport aircraft. In addition a number of ground support units are located at Amberley. The airbase is currently being expanded and will eventually also house No. 33 Squadron (flying Airbus A330 MRTT tanker-transports) and No. 36 Squadron (flying C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft) and several Army units.

Ipswich is also home to a campus of the University of Queensland, the annual Ipswich Cup horse races, and The Workshops Railway Museum to commemorate the first trainline in Queensland from Ipswich to Grandchester, approximately 25km to the west. The present Ipswich Station is a major transport interchange.

A large shopping complex is being developed in the Springfield suburb which was, when designed the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere . Accompanying this is a satellite campus of the University of Southern Queensland, which has its primary campus in Toowoomba.

Redbank Plaza shopping mall has had 8 cinemas added as well as a fourth floor of shopping. Three clear retail and service hubs are developing outside Ipswich central and besides Springfield. Brassall and Karalee to the north, Yamanto to the South, and Booval in the central east.

Housing

The traditional Ipswich dwelling has always been a detached home on land, however this is changing as housing demand and a desire to live closer to amenities increases. The Ipswich region has also been approved as the new South-East Queensland 'boom corridor' to cope with the high demands to live in the region. New estates and suburbs are currently under development in the Springfield Region and Ripley Valley. Ipswich is currently the fastest growing region in South-East Queensland. Several large apartment buildings are also planned or under construction in the Ipswich CBD.

Transport

Local transport

There are three forms of public train transport servicing the Ipswich region.

Queensland Rail's Citytrain offers regular services to and from Ipswich CBD to Brisbane, Brisbane Airport, the eastern suburbs, and western suburbs (as far as Rosewood). A new rail line is currently under construction from Darra to Springfield and Springfield Lakes. Another rail line has been proposed to run from Ipswich to Yamanto, and the Ripley Valley.
Westside Buslines is the prominent bus company in Ipswich, linking all sides of town to Ipswich CBD; Redbank; Springfield; or Forest Lake (in Brisbane).
Southern Cross Citilink is a bus which operates between Ipswich and Indooroopilly via Riverlink, Karalee, Chuwar, Karana Downs, Anstead, and Kenmore.
Queensland Rail buses offer direct daily services to Gatton, Helidon, Fernvale, Lowood, Coominya, Esk, and Toogoolawah.
An Airport Express Bus operates from Ipswich to Brisbane Airport on a regular basis. Prior bookings are essential though.

Ipswich also has direct access to the Ipswich Motorway (linking to Brisbane); the Cunningham Highway (linking to Warwick); the Warrego Highway (linking to Toowoomba); and the Centenary Highway (linking Springfield and the Ripley Valley to Brisbane).

Long distance transport

The Westlander train pasts through Ipswich Station once a week to Toowoomba and Charleville.
Greyhound Australia (coaches) and McCafferty's offer daily direct services to Toowoomba, Mt Isa, Charleville and Sydney from the Ipswich Transit Centre.
Crisps coaches offer daily direct services to and from Warwick and Stanthorpe.

Sport

The Ipswich Jets play in the Queensland Cup competition.
The V8 Supercars race each year at Queensland Raceway at Willowbank in mid July.
Brookwater Golf Club is the state of the art Greg Norman designed course located in the Springfield Region to the south-east of the CBD.
The Ipswich Cougars play in the Gridiron Queensland league and have been one of the most dominant teams since the launch of Gridiron in Queensland.
AFL is well represented. The Ipswich Eagles play in second tier division of AFL Queensland. The Ipswich Miners play in the under 18 competition of AFL Queensland. Collingwood Park(Power), Ipswich Central (Cats)and Springfield Lakes play in the junior competition of AFL Brisbane Juniors.

Prominent locals

Sportspeople

Allan Langer (attended Ipswich State High School and Blair State Primary School), Kevin Walters, Kerrod Walters, Steve Walters and Dale Shearer represented Queensland and Australia at rugby league
Craig McDermott and Shane Watson: represented Queensland and Australia in cricket, attended Ipswich Grammar School.
John Buchanan: Former Australian cricket team coach
Berrick Barnes: Former Brisbane Broncos player and current Queensland Reds player. Attended Ipswich Grammar School
Rhan Hooper: Current Brisbane Lions Australian rules footballer in the AFL. Attended Bundamba State Secondary College.
Mark Tonelli:Olympic gold medallist in swimming, member of the Quietly Confident Quartet.
Israel Folau (NRL player for Melbourne storm and Australian and Queensland rugby league representative. Played for Ipswich junior rugby league team Goodna Eagles).
Lagi Setu: NRL Player for St George Illawarra Dragons. Attended Ipswich Grammar School.

Politicians

Bill Hayden: former Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, leader of federal Australian Labor Party.
Pauline Hanson: former member of the Liberal Party of Australia and founder of the One Nation Party.
Cameron Thompson: former Liberal Member for Blair (1998-2007), lead the push for the Goodna Bypass, Queensland Liberal party presidential candidate running on a Liberal/National merger platform

Musicians

Matthew Hickey: singer, founder and director of The Ten Tenors
David McCormack: former lead member of Custard and The Titanics.
Harold Blair: Aboriginal Tenor and music teacher
Thomas Shapcott: Author and poet

Other

John Birmingham: (Liverpool-born) Author
John Bradfield: Engineer and designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge; Story Bridge; and the Sydney Railway System
Joy Chambers: Author, Actor
D'Arcy Doyle: Painter
Sir Harry Gibbs: Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
Sir Samuel Griffith: Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
Frederick Kesner: (Manila-born) Poet

Education

Colleges and universities

University of Queensland, Ipswich
Bremer Institute of TAFE, Ipswich, Bundamba & Goodna
University of Southern Queensland, Springfield

Secondary schools

Ipswich has a considerable number of secondary schools including:

Bremer State High School
Bundamba State Secondary College
Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, established 1892
Ipswich Grammar School, established in 1863, first school to open as a result of the Grammar Schools Act of 1860
Ipswich State high School
Redbank Plains State High School
Rosewood State High School
Saint Edmund's College
Saint Mary's College
St Augustine's College Springfield
St Peter Claver College
West Moreton Anglican College, Karrabin
Westside Christian College

Primary schools

Ipswich has a number of primary schools including:

Goodna State School, established in 1870.
Ipswich State School
Silkstone State School
St Marys Primary school
Brassall State Primary School
North Ipswich State Primary School
East Ipswich State Primary School
West Ipswich State Primary School
Central State Primary School
Bundamba State Primary School
Blair State Primary School

Events

Ipswich Show

The first Ipswich Annual Show was held on 2 April 1873, by the Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Society. There had been shows staged by the Ipswich and West Moreton Horticultural and Agricultural Society as early as 1868.

Originally held at the sale yards situated at Lobb St, Churchill, the show moved to its present home at the Ipswich Showgrounds in 1877

Ipswich Show Website